Research says funding cuts and poor organisation stop Canadians from accessing healthcare – and 20% have no doctor at all
Note: these are my chosen quotes from the articles:
The CMAJ study, led by family physicians and researchers at the University of Toronto and published on Monday, compares the Canadian healthcare system with those of Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and the UK. Those countries were chosen because 95% or more citizens have access to a family physician.
She pointed out that Norwegians and Finns are automatically registered to a doctor or health centre, and those in the UK have a right to register with care providers in their immediate communities.
Many Canadians, however, wait for years on provincial family doctor waitlists. Others have to call around town in hopes of finding someone willing to accept them. In the interim, they cobble care together through urgent care clinics, hospital ERs and, in some cases, private out-of-pocket services.
Sounds stupid, as care delivery through a family physician who coordinates care for patients is the cheapest and most efficient form of health care delivery. It’s also usually better for the health outcomes of the patient
Exactly. We have to remember the old saying of Hippocrates: prevention is better than cure. Preventing a disease will save the system an enormous amount of money because it will reduce the number of hospital admissions. Hospital admissions are the most expensive costs.
Yes, but it would mean that the poor would have the same care as the rich, and the rich would pay for it.
The current system suits the people who run it just fine: they have access to primary care, they pay lower taxes, and they can make money investing in private health-care delivery. What’s the incentive for them to invest in public care?
Nothing changes until the rich fear the poor.